Public Domain
6 weeks
Guided by Dr. Tridha Gajjar
Understanding web presence of Bharat's State Road Transport
A research-driven study, Exploring India’s state transport systems and their digital interfaces focused on understanding user perceptions of accessibility, usability, and the overall commuter experience.
User Research + UX Audit + UI System Analysis
It started in Ahmedabad....
I was trying to book an intercity bus but ran into broken websites, outdated links, and no real-time updates. This everyday struggle inspired me to redesign the digital experience of India's state road transport sevices.
To interrogate this scenario, The project was initiated.
I used combination of surveys, fly on the wall, interviews, and audits across zones to gather rich, actionable insights.
The SRTC Ecosystem
India’s SRTCs are not fits, all model. They serve diverse terrains, user types, and travel needs both within and across state lines. Understanding their service types.
This is just a glimpse of the stats but what about the #Current digital scenario?
India has 36 states and UTs, grouped into zones, each running its own massive transport network.
State transport services in total
36
Websites
32
Mobile apps
18
Only out of all in
working stage
10%
Madhya Pradesh SRTC
Uttar Pradesh SRTC
Bihar SRTC
Utharakhand SRTC
Gujarat SRTC
Maharashtra SRTC
BEST Public bus service
Navi Mumbai MT
Rajasthan SRTC
Delhi TC
Haryana SRTC
Himachal Pradesh RTC
Jammu & Kashmir SRTC
Punjab SRTC
Andhra Pradesh SRTC
Bangalore MTC
Goa Nadu SRTC
Karnataka SRTC
Kerala SRTC
Tamil Nadu SRTC
Telangana SRTC
Arunachal Pradesh SRTC
Assam SRTC
Jharkhand SRTC
Manipur SRTC
Mizoram SRTC
Nagaland SRTC
North Bengal SRTC
Orissa SRTC
Sikkim SRTC
Tripura SRTC
Meghalaya SRTC
Central Zone
West Zone
North Zone
South Zone
East Zone
Key Operational Highlights
MSRTC (Maharashtra)
Buses
15,512 +
Daily commuters
60 lakh
Revenue in November 2024
₹941 cr.
Average
daily income
₹31.36 cr.
GSRTC (Gujrat)
Buses
8,322 +
Daily commuters
25.18 lakh
Revenue in October 2024
₹30.53 cr.
Average
daily income
₹6.25 cr.
So what I understood from this is
India’s 70+ SRTCs (State Road Transport Corporations) operate over 1.5 lakh buses and serve 6.8 crore people every month. While 36 states have some form of digital presence, but less than 10% actively maintained
The result? A fragmented, unreliable, inconsistent digital experience for millions of daily commuters.
Based on this hypothisis, I started inquirying commmuters through survay & interviews.
Some comments from commuters,
"હું બસ સ્ટેન્ડ જઈને જ ટિકિટ બુક કરાવું છું. વેબસાઇટની ક્યારેય જરૂર પડી નથી."
“I always book tickets at the bus stand. Never felt the need for a website.”
“My father can’t read anything other than Gujarati.”
"મારા પપ્પા ગુજરાતી સિવાય કંઈ વાંચી શકતા નથી."
“Private buses arrive on time. You can never be sure with state ones.”
"प्राइवेट वाले टाइम पर आते है | सरकारी वालों का कुछ पता नहीं |"
“The schedule is wrong how can we trust it?”
"वेळापत्रकच चुकीचं दाखवतं, मग कसं भरोसा ठेवायचं?"
“The server is usually down.”
“सर्व्हर डाउनच असतो बहुतेक वेळा”
“If it’s not in Telugu, how will we understand it?”
"పలుకుబడి తెలుగు లో లేదు అంటే మాకు ఎలా అర్థమవుతుంది?"
Insights from research
People value the service but struggle with outdated info, unreliable bookings, poor bus conditions, and lack of support.
Analysis of surveys
90%
Users reported they are using SRTC’s services on a yearly or quarterly basis
Users are not satisfied with the quality and accessibility of the website.
60%
45%
say they are unaware of a website or app for their state SRTC.
Respondents preferred private bus services over state bus services.
80%
User interaction study
Users find it challenging to navigate the SRTC booking platforms.
The user flow is not intuitive, leading to frustration.
Users face obstacles during the booking process.
The steps for searching, booking, and receiving tickets are not straightforward.
The real competition comes from private bus services. These platforms set user expectations for ease, speed, and reliabilitymaking them the benchmark for comparison.
After all the research, field visits, interviews, and audits. I began to see the bigger picture.
It wasn’t just about poor UI or outdated websites. It was about trust. Users didn’t feel confident using SRTC platforms because every state had its own version of “how things work.” There was no consistency, and no shared design language.
That’s when it became clear
To build a better experience, we don’t just need better screens, We need a uniform design system.